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“Freaks ‘n Geeks” arrived on September 3rd 2004.  This one came out before I even had a separate sub-domain set up on Diaryland for the comics.  My internet past is so damn sorted.  The original note that accompanied this strip:

Long story short: When I was in Sardegna, I went to an ancient Roman Fort and played around in the sub-zero cold.  (It was about -10F outside.)  While in Italy, in general, I noticed that all the old ladies had full beards.  THANK GOD my grandmother did NOT have facial hair, nor did any of the other female relatives from the island!